HON351
Spring 2008
Study Sheet
Socialism/Communism as an Ideology
Reading Assignment
Ball and Dagger, ch. 5
Other articles (optional)
"Socialist Senator Makes US History," BBC, January 2, 2007 Sanders Website
Websites (optional)
International Committee of the Fourth International
Questions to consider while reading Ball and Dagger, chapter 5
1. What are the core beliefs of socialism as an ideology?
2. In what ways is socialism at odds with the basic tenets of liberalism and conservatism?
3. In what ways does communist ideology (a la Marx) go beyond basic socialism?
4. What was the historical context in which Marxism arose?
5. What contradictions did Marx see in capitalism?
6. What sequence of developments did Marx foresee in the transformation of a capitalistic society to a communistic one?
7. Were he living now, what do you think would be Marx's reactions to capitalism in the modern globalized world?